Sunday, October 18, 2009

This sauce name always brings out the middle schooler in me.... I can't help but giggle that the chicken is being a jerk. I know, lame.

Another fav of Abe's. He's getting it for dinner this Wednesday, in fact. Very easy to make and delicious! You can make this recipe with pork and beef, too. I know the recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I've made it with chicken breasts, too. Just make sure they are the thick ones (if using boneless breasts, I'd cut the cook time down to 4 to 5 hours).

Don't worry if you don't have a wire rack that fits your slow cooker. I don't, so I just put the chicken in the cooker after spraying it a bit with Pam.

Serve with long-grained rice seasoned with chopped green onions and toasted almonds, along with a green salad with slices of papaya.

1. In a food processor, combine the green onions, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, oil, jalapenos, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and garlic and process until very finely chopped, almost smooth. Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice and the Worcestershire sauce to form a paste. Using a brush, apply the jerk sauce so it completely coats the chicken; use up all of the sauce.

2. Put a wire rack in the slow cooker. Place the chicken on the rack. Cover and cook on LOW until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 5 to 6 hours. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I found this recipe while playing with a relative's IPhone. He knew that I loved to cook and was showing me how you can look up recipes with one of his applications. That phone is so damn cool....

I've been wanting to try panko breadcrumbs, which are Japanese and make for a lighter and crunchier crust. If you lay the chicken on a baking rack before putting it into the oil, the breadcrumb crust will stay more on the chicken and less stick to the pan.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This is one of Jimi's go-to recipes when he gets to choose dinner. How often do you come home to homemade Chinese food waiting for you? Now you can with this easy recipe since it's made in the crock pot.

The recipe calls for a whole fryer chicken, but I just make it with 3-4 large chicken breasts since that's what I have on hand. The sesame seeds can be found already toasted in the spice section.

1. Wash and dry chicken thoroughly. Trim off fat. Put chicken in the cooker, breast side up. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sherry, ketchup, red pepper flakes, green onions and garlic in a small bowl; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh reads 180 degrees, 3 1/4 to 4 hours.

2. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Remove and discard the green onions. Combine the corn starch and water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Cook on HIGH until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Monday, October 12, 2009

I made this for Abe's dinner tonight and while he was initially hesitant, he ended up really enjoying it. It's very easy, just brown the meat and toss everything in the slow cooker. It made the house smell so good when I came home from work- and that's from a vegetarian!

I served it with green salad. I will add a side dish of rice next time to round out the meal.

1. In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, brown the pork chops on both sides.

2. In the slow cooker, combine the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Nestle the pork chops on top.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, parsley, oregano, basil and salt. Pour over the chops. Cover and cook on LOW until the meat is tender, 6 to 8 hours.

4. Transfer the pork to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer the tomato sauce to a medium-size saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth, and stir the slurry into the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve the sauce over the pork chops.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Cool Fall weather just begs for warm comfort food, like chili. This recipe is new for us, but it was a hit from first bite. It's a spicy chili, so if you're a wimp... I mean, don't like spice.... maybe cut it down to 1 jalapeno.

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables being to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the spices, tomatoes and beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the corn and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Watch the cloves. If you accidentally add more, it will not be tasty. Don't skimp on it though. Use real maple syrup, not the fake stuff (use the rest on your pancakes; so much tastier than the fake stuff!)

The great thing about the recipe is it's tasty and low in fat/calories. It's only 230 calories and 9 grams of fat (2.5 grams saturated) per serving.

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown tenderloins on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins smoking, about 10 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

3. Pour off fat left in skillet. Add all glaze ingredients to skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Brush glaze over tenderloins.